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(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 1. J. CINAMON.

COVERING POR SHIPS BOTTOMS. No. 4Q6,598L Patented May 2, 1893.

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GOVBRING PoR SHIPS BoTToMS. No. 496,598. Patented May 2, 1893.

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No. 496,698. PatentedMay 2, 1893.

(No Model.) 5 sheets-sheet 4.

. J. CINAMON.

GOVBRING POR SHIPS BOTTOMS. No. 496,598. Patented May 2,1893.

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-f-Sheet 5. J. CINAMON: GOVERING FOR SHIPS BOTTOMS.

No. 196,598x

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JACOB CINAMON, OF BARBERTON, SOUTH AFRICAN REPUBLIC.

COVERING FOR SHIPS BOTTOMS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 496,598, dated May 2,1893. Applicationled September 10, 1892. Serial No. 445,521. (No model.)Patented in England March 1l, 1892, No. 4,839.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JACOB CINAMON, merchant, asubject of the Queen ofGreat Britain, residing at Barberton, in the South African Republic, butat present of London, England, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Protecting Ships from Sinking' in Case of Collision orfrom the Action of Projectiles or the Like, (for which a patent has beengranted to me in Great Britain bearing date March l1, 1892, No. 4,83%)of which the following is a specification.

The object of myinvention is to provide protection for ships wherebythey are practically rendered unsinkable, the means therefor beingeasily applied and always ready for use when required; and my inventionprimarily consists in providing for the ship a sort of movable armorsubstantially as hereinafter described, which is ready to be putinposition with very great facility when required for use; and theinvention also comprises shield protectors triangularin section,extending round the ship above the water-line, for affording protectionto the mechanism tor working the movable armor, as well as acting as aprotecting medium in the event of collision.

My invention will be best understood by further describing same withreference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure l is a vertical cross section of a ship tted with my improvedarmor, showing the same in the position it would occupy when hauled upor hoisted in board, but ready for immediate use in case of necessity.Fig. 2 is a similar View of the same ship showing the movable iexiblearmor lowered into position for the protection of the vessel. Fig. 3 isa transverse sectional view on a larger scale of the upper portion ofthe ship, showing a protecting casing, triangular in section, whichextends (in sections) completely round the ship for protecting themechanism for operating the movable flexible armor, and for affordingprotection also to the men on board and to the ship itself from theeffects of collision. Fig. 4 shows on a similar scale to the previousfigure, the keel portion of the ship with the flexible armor coating(after having been lowered) secured in position, when this securingmeans is considered necessary.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation showing the interior face of one sectionofthe triangular protectors. Fig. 6 shows in transverse section thearrangement ot mechanism for governing and effecting the downward andupward travel of the armor. Fig. 7 is a horizontal section of same on orabout the line 03 'y of Fig. G. Fig. 8 is an external elevation ot thepart shown at Fig. 6. Fig. 9 shows the connection with the guiding ropesor chains of a boom on thelower part of the flexible armor. Fig. l0shows a similar attachment provided with a spring device. Figs. ll, l2and 13 show a modified means for holding the flexible movable armor whenlowered should it be so desired. Fig. 14C shows in elevation a part of avessel having my improved protecting appliances iitted thereto, twodivisions of the movable armor being in use or about to be brought intouse.

A is the movable armor, which must be to a certain extent iexible,because each portion of such armor should be capable of being woundround rollers B. This flexible movable armor A is made in pieces ofcouvenient widths, and may consist of chain mail, jointed plates ofmetal, or jointed laths, and is or may be lined with a material such asleather', or a combination of it with some other suitable or equivalentmaterial, although I do not limit myself to any particular manufactureof such flexible armor. A suitable number of such rollers B, arrangedwith their ends adjacent to one another extend entirely round the ship,say at or about the deck level, and outside the vessel, and the saidrollers are protected and work inside what I may call gear protectors ora protected casing F of triangular section (best seen at Fig. 3). Eachof the pieces of tiexible movable armor A is connected at base ashereinafter described to endless ropes or chains C, Figs. 6, 7, and 8,which pass round guide pulleys or rollers D near to the ships keel, andthese ropes or chains C are then returned upward again, being operatedby a winch pulley, for communicating motion to a train of Wheels,indicated by the letter Il at Fig. 6, and in such manner that the lowerend of the movable armor A is carried down to the lower pulley and upagain toward top protected roller B, the latter rollerB being providedat IOO each end with a spur pinion K K and revolved as required by awinch K Figs. l and 2 one of which may be provided at either end of therollers B and one or both used as required.

At Figs. 6, 7, 8 I have more clearly indicated the endless chains C forworking the flexible armor up and down the sides of the ship, and forthis purpose the boom or stretcher H with which the end of each piece ofliexible armor Ais provided is held to the ropes or chains C by eyebolts, as at Fig. 9, carried from the ends of the boom H and enteringthe groovesE in which the chains C lie, the inner sides C of the chainsbeing connected to the said boom H. booms H with the chains C may beallowed a certain amount of resiliency if desired, by applying a springconnection as is shown at Fig. 10, where the spring H allows the armcarrying the eye bolt a lateral play. The boom I-I on having arrived inposition at or near the keel, and the side of the ship being thencovered with the movable armor A, the movement ot' the endless chain iscontinued, thereby bringing the boom H back on the outer sides of chainsC, and forming a fold in the armor as shown at Fig. 4. The endlesschains during the movement just described travel in the direction shownby the arrows Fig. 6. When the flexible movable armor has arrived intothe position shown at Fig. 4, and the fold has been formed, it may betrapped or held up against the bottom of the vessel should such fixturebe considered necessary by one of the flaps H which are hinged to thekeel, one of such flaps being shown at Fig. 4, this flap being operatedfrom the inside of the ship by a chain, passing through a tube, up tothe same deck as that fromwhich the lowering, raising and adjusting ofthe flexible armor is worked, or the iiaps may be worked by rods goingthrough stufting boxes. These iiaps, or what I term trapping mechanism,may be entirely dispensed with; or I may employ an equivalent butsomewhat modified form of securing device, such as is shown at Fig. 11in section transversely of the vessel, at Fig. 12 in inverted plan, andat Fig. 13 in section on line X Y of Fig. 12. A represents portions oftwo adjacent sheets of the flexible armor. H H are the two adjacentbooms attached to thelower edges of same. L is a bar which may be madeof spring steel, iixed to the central web, and extends on both sides ofthe grooves or channels Ein which the cords or chains C are situated. Oneither side of the central web aforesaid the bar L is bent and dips intothe channels E to allow the outer side of the endless chain C to come onthe outside of the bar L. When the movable armor is brought down, thebooms H pass under the arms of the bar L, and when returning upward asbefore described, the same booms II pass .over the arms of bar L and theloops or bends The connections of the the apex outward, is firmly hingedto the ships side, so that a section may be lowered down into theposition shown in the dotted lines of Fig. 3 for the purpose of removingthe rollers, or for repairs. When raised into its normal position, it isfirmly secured to the ships side.

Fig. 5 shows the bearings E in the ends of the casing F, which bearingscan be removed from the casing when it is required to remove or change aroller B.

The movable armor is worked from the ship by a winch as shown or otherconvenient way, and so that this protecting movable armor surface maynot only be pulled down to the keel, but it may also when in position begradually moved upward or downward as may be required; thus if a shotstrikesa ship protected according to my invention, and goes through themovable armor A. and the skin of the ship, by moving the armorA down,the hole or holes so madein the ship is orare covered and closed, owingto the iiexible armor,

presenting a new and close or water-tight surface, which is not'in'aline with the aperture made in the ship, and which latter isconsequently closed by the said movable armor. The number of the rollersB may vary as aforesaid according to the length and size of the ship.

It will be evident that the mechanism for operating the various rollersB may be connected together or all operated through one driving shaft bysuitable belts or pulleys or other well known connections and operatedor set in motion from one point.

Provision should be made to protect the chains and operating mechanismof the movable armor. Such protecting means are illustrated at Figs. 6,7 and I4, where E E indicate guide grooves shown in horizontal sectionFig. 7 extending from the casing F down the ships side so far as it isintended the movable armor shall be capable of traveling to, andpreferably down close to the keel, as shown at Fig. 2 it being in thesegrooves that the chains C are carried; G G Figs. 7 and 14, are wedgeshaped pieces of metal (gear protectors) to cover and afford protectionto the chains C and roller D. These wedge pieces G can be hoisted upwhen the ship is under way, so as not to impede her course through thewater; but when down in position for protecting the grooves in which theropes or chains C travel, they rest on projections G Fig. 14. Thetriangular casing F not only acts as a covering for the rollers and themovable armor but it also serves as a protection in the event of acollision taking place, and would be the means, in such cases, ofpreventing a ship being cut in half, or at any rate rent open with noprovision at hand to stop the4 aperture sok made; Whereas by myinvention I not only provide means for arresting the shock of thecollision but when that collision takes place there are means ready athand for stopping the apertures by the lowering of the iiexible movablearmor before described.

I claiml. In devices for preventing ships sinking from the eiiects ofcollisions,projectiles or the like, the pieces or lengths of iiexiblearmor or mail A, provided with a lining of leather or other material,and mounted upon rollers B located outside of and extending around thevessel, gearing for revolving the said rollers, booms or rods I-I fixedto depending end of mail A, controlling chains C C and guiding grooves EE, whereby all or any single piece of the mail A may be lowered to ornear the ships keel and so cover the side of the vessel together withanyinjury thereon and thereby prevent the entry of water as set forth.

2. In devices for preventing ships sinking from the effects ofcollisions, projectiles or the like, the combination with pieces ofexible leather-lined mail A mounted on rollers B located outside andextending around the vessel, the operating gear for rollers B, looms Hon said mail A,boom operating chains C C and grooves E, of the hingedflaps or trapping arms II, whereby the iiexible mail A is secured at ornear the keel of the ship or vessel as set forth.

3. In devices for preventing ships sinking from the effects ofcollisions, projectiles, or the like, the combination with pieces offlexible leather-lined mail A mounted on rollers B located outside andextending around the vessel, the operating gear for rollers B, booms Ilon said mail A, boom operating chains C C and grooves E, of spring steelarms Llocated outside the vessel between the pieces of iieXible mail A,under and over which arms L the booms H of the flexible mailA pass,leaving loops of the latter held by the said arms L, as set forth.

et. In devices for preventing ships sinking from the effects ofcollisions, projectiles or the like, the combination with pieces offlexible mail A lined with leather or other material, rollers B carryingthe mail A located outside and extending around the vessel, operatinggear for revolving the said rollers, guiding appliances and loweringmechanism for controlling the lower edges of the mail A, of protectingtriangular casings F made in sections and extending all around the shipabove the water line, and incasing the said rollers B and mail A, as setforth.

J. CINAMON.

lVitnesses:

E. S. BREWER, E. W. ECAILLE, Both of33 Chancery Lcme, London, England.

